The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-12-09
Further Interesting Develop
ments in the Case.
HERR MOST MADE HAPPY
a Railroad suit-To Abolish Commit
tees-A Noted Gathering
General ..
The Harper Case.

qUjrer, this morning, prints fac smile
cipher letters which it says were fur
nished by Charles Hopkins, son of as
sistsnt Ben E. Hopkins. The letters
were sent by Harper to Miss Josie
Holmes, his former exchange clerk. 1t
is explained that after the failure Har-
per protested the warmest friendship
for his assistant cashier, Hopkins, and
promised TO do everything that coul d
be done to shield him. Young Hop
kins was correspondingly kind to Har-
per. and became his messenger to carry
letters to and from Miss Holmes While
in this Office he began to suspect that
Harper was arranging to shift on Hop
kins the responsibility of all transac-
tons with grain brokers, and young
Hopkins, to place Harper within his
power, conceived the bold device of
concesling the letters and deliver
ing verbal messages. This worked
well enough until Miss Holmes
visited the Jail. Harper was furious
upon learning the treachery OF his mes
senger, and has since been cold toward
Hopkins. Harper also sent three checks
to MISS Holmes which Hopkins sup
pressed and turned over to District.
Attorney Burnet They aggregated
$500 600, and it is presume hey were
intended to be placed SOL cover up
some of the crooked transactl--s of his
bank. In the first letter Harpe nstructs
Miss Holmes about what she should say
in her testimony. She answered saying
she would be as evasive as she could,
but feared she ,ould not testify as he
wanted her to. She said he had made
botch of sendinglHopkins to see..her, and
asked him why he did not go when he
had chance. She askei him to send
her lawyer to advise her how to tes-
protestations of love for his bright
angel and upraided her for her
coldness. and especially for her
cold suggestion that he should
have flown. It looked to him
as though she wanted to get rid of him.
He reminded her of his talk during
their last ride together, that he said the
worst thing would be their separation,
and that she said that would never be,
and pressing kiss on his lips, said she
would go to prison with him. or, if that
could not be, would visit him daily. He
begged her to get we'll and come to him,
before she got into the safe deposit bot,
otherwise all would be spoiled. He also
urged her to take no more of the drug,
aud to decline to be interviewed. ID
one of her notes Miss Holmes said ~
Harper: Your wife has $4,000, 000;4
have nothing more to do but to dieSl
with your family 'disgracing me as they
have done in the last two days"
Harper was seen at the Jail this morn
ing, and ASKED what he had to say
about the publication of his letters to
Miss Holmes. Harper paused mo-
ment, and then with clenched teeth,
said: You can say that Charley Hop
kins did not publish other letters that
it would his father, and that he did not
publish anything about the $40 gave
him for her. Now will you excuse me2'
and he finished his toilet and went up
stairs, where his wife and sister were in
waiting to take him to the court room.
In the court room Harper gave mis-
usual polite attention to his wife and
showed but little trace Of trouble. His
wife, however, sat like statue, as
though obvious to the surroundings.
There is no doubt as to the authenticity
of the letters and that they place in q
true light the relations between the ex-
banker and his fair clerk.
OINGINNATI, December Sin the
Harper trial to-day, District Attorney
Burnett said he wished it understood
that the attorneys for the defense had
nothing whatever to do with the
attempt made to bribe him. The prose-
cution made no reference at all to the
publication of the cipher letters between
Harper and Miss Holmes. Hayes
finished his testimony, and with it gov
eminent rested its case. The defense
called Eckert for cross-examination.
After finishing the cross-e1amination
of Eckert, the defense cross-examined
Hayes very briefly. Then Judge Wilson
asked the Court to give him little time
to prepare for opening the case for the
defense, and court adjourned until to-
morrow. 1t is expected that Harper
will be placed on the stand, and that no
other witnesses will be called.
Upon the close of the government
testimony in the Harper trial, to-day,
the court ruled out four counts in the
indictments as being imperfectly
drawn. AS there are fifty-five counts
il all, these four cut but small figure
to the defendants credit. 1t is an I'M
usual and remarkable fact that not
single exception has so far been taken
to any ruling of the Court. Moreover,
rulings have generally been made with
little argument. The statement is made
this evening that after Harper dis
covered that Charlie Hopkins had be-
trayed him and obtained valuable tes-
timony against him, an agent was sent
to Hopkins to bribe him to seeresy, but
was unsuccessful. Hopkins says he
has other letters of Harper's which have
not been published.